ACCEPT Frontman: 'It's The Kiss Of Death Opening For AC/DC'

Corrine Brislin from Australia's Harvey Community Radio 96.5 FM recently conducted an interview with frontman Mark Tornillo of German/American metal veterans ACCEPT. You can listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the response to ACCEPT's new "The Rise Of Chaos" studio album:

Mark: "It seems to me it's been very good. We're actually playing the first show tomorrow, so I'll know a little more, but from what I can see online and from what I've heard from people I know and fans that I've spoken with, everybody seems to be receiving it pretty well."

On how "The Rise Of Chaos" differs from ACCEPT's previous releases:

Mark: "I don't think it differs a whole lot. We pretty much, the last four records have been on a continuous songwriting carousel, I think. We're really not looking to reinvent the wheel; we're looking to keep ACCEPT where it was in the '80s and '90s. We're really staying in the same vein, I don't think it's different that much, except this one is a little bit heavier than [2014's] 'Blind Rage' and the subject matter changes, obviously, this one being 'The Rise Of Chaos', we're really just taking a hard look at the world and commenting on it."

On whether ACCEPT has benefited from being around since 1976 and what has stood out to him as career highlights:

Mark: "Experience is definitely something you can't buy. Of course, the experience plays a key role in this whole thing. I think the breaks actually play a key role in the whole thing as well because I was out of the thing myself, coming back into it with a fresh mind and a fresh vigor for the business, which Peter [Baltes, bass] and Wolf [Hoffmann, guitar] had because they hadn't done it for so long. You can enjoy it again, whereas the beginning of the '90s, the scene had changed, metal was not what it was, grunge had come in and all these other things were going on and all of us, I, myself, just walked away. I'm playing stuff I didn't want to play. I certainly wasn't going to join a wedding band like some of my fellow musicians. I'll go do what I normally do - I went back to being an electrician, then this comes along and believe me, I'm enjoying myself. But you can't put a price on experience, Wolf, especially, when it comes to stage setting and things most people have no idea how to do things. He's the behind the scenes guy that puts it all together."

On what moment in his career with ACCEPT stands out the most:

Mark: "We actually did two open air shows with AC/DC in Germany in 2010. It was the second tour I did with ACCEPT. We did two open-air shows with AC/DC, eighty-thousand people, both of them. Open for AC/DC? Come on! It was like 'Hello!' This year, playing Wacken [Open Air festival] with the orchestra. That was just off the charts."

On playing in front of AC/DC's notoriously tough fans:

Mark: "Believe it or not, their fans liked us, because they don't like anyone. [Laughs] When you go on, it's the kiss of death opening for AC/DC. [The fans are yelling] 'Get off! Get off!' Luckily, we were in Germany, obviously we're in ACCEPT's backyard. Some people knew who we were and those who didn't gave us the time of day and jumped onboard."

On whether he's sick of playing ACCEPT live staples "Balls To The Wall" and "Fast As A Shark":

Mark: "No. I don't think so. I get the same rush doing them every night. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't like it. This is what we live for. Luckily, their classics are just a collection of wonderful songs. I really couldn't be any happier to go out and sing those songs, and of course, the new ones that we've done on the last four albums as well, obviously. The classic tracks, no, I don't get tired of them, not really. The fact that I was an ACCEPT fan had a lot to do with me taking this job because I was familiar with their catalog. I thought to myself 'You're singing these songs every night.' Okay, that's not such a bad thing! That's pretty good. It could be a lot worse. You could join [a different band] and go 'Oh really. I have to sing this tonight?'"

"The Rise Of Chaos" was released on August 4 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the disc was created by the Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák. The follow-up to 2014's "Blind Rage" is the first ACCEPT album to feature the band's latest additions, guitarist Uwe Lulis (GRAVE DIGGER, REBELLION) and drummer Christopher Williams.

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